Author Guide · Comedy Memoir & Fiction
Books Written by
In October 2015 Bob Mortimer, one half of Reeves and Mortimer, had a triple heart bypass, and the first leg of the duo’s 25th-anniversary tour was cancelled. The heart scare made him reflect on his life, and the result was his memoir And Away... (2021). A year later he published his first novel, The Satsuma Complex, a Sunday Times bestseller, and two more novels have followed. Before all this he had written a book with Paul Whitehouse to go with their BBC Two series Gone Fishing. This guide covers his 5 key books, in order, and where to begin.
By Lisanne Swart · 5 key books · 2019–2025 · Updated October 2026
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Quick answer
Bob Mortimer’s best-known book is his memoir And Away... (2021). He has also written three comic novels, The Satsuma Complex (2022), The Hotel Avocado (2024) and The Long Shoe (2025), and co-wrote Gone Fishing (2019) with Paul Whitehouse. Start with And Away...; for his fiction, start with The Satsuma Complex.
Where to Start with Bob Mortimer
If you want his life story
→ And Away... (2021) — written after his 2015 heart scare.
If you want his fiction
→ The Satsuma Complex (2022) — his first novel, a Sunday Times bestseller.
If you know him from Gone Fishing
→ Gone Fishing (2019) — written with Paul Whitehouse.
5 Bob Mortimer Books, in Order
Gone Fishing
The companion book to the BBC Two series Mortimer & Whitehouse: Gone Fishing, which first aired in 2018, written with Paul Whitehouse.
And Away...
His autobiography, published in September 2021. He wrote it after his 2015 heart scare made him reflect on his life.
The Satsuma Complex
His first novel. It was a Sunday Times bestseller, was published in the United States as The Clementine Complex, and its audiobook is read by Mortimer and Sally Phillips.
The Hotel Avocado
His second novel, published in 2024, two years after The Satsuma Complex.
The Long Shoe
His third novel, published in 2025.
In What Order to Read Bob Mortimer
Read And Away... first if you want to know the man behind the comedy: it is the book he wrote after the 2015 heart scare made him look back on his life.
The novels can be read in publication order, starting with The Satsuma Complex. Gone Fishing is a companion to the television series and works best if you have seen it.
A reading path
1. And Away... (2021)
2. The Satsuma Complex (2022)
3. The Hotel Avocado (2024)
4. The Long Shoe (2025)
The years · 1959–2025
Quick facts about Bob Mortimer
- Known for
- Comedy with Vic Reeves as Reeves and Mortimer, and the BBC Two series Gone Fishing with Paul Whitehouse.
- 1959
- Born in Middlesbrough
- 2021
- And Away...
- 2025
- Third novel, The Long Shoe
- Born
- Robert Renwick Mortimer, 23 May 1959, Middlesbrough
- Comedy partner
- Vic Reeves, as Reeves and Mortimer
- Television
- Mortimer & Whitehouse: Gone Fishing, BBC Two, with Paul Whitehouse
- Health
- Triple heart bypass, October 2015
- Books
- A memoir, three novels and a Gone Fishing book
- Best seller
- The Satsuma Complex (2022), a Sunday Times bestseller
The red mark is 2021: And Away..., his memoir.
How Bob Mortimer Writes: Late Start, Comic Novels
Mortimer came to books late, in his sixties, after more than thirty years of television comedy. Before comedy he was a solicitor, first for Southwark Council and then in private practice in Peckham; he took a ten-week break to record Vic Reeves Big Night Out and never went back.
The memoir came out of illness. After the triple bypass of October 2015, which cancelled the first leg of the Reeves and Mortimer anniversary tour, he started looking back on his life, and And Away... followed in 2021.
Since then he has written comic novels, one every year or two: The Satsuma Complex (2022), a Sunday Times bestseller, The Hotel Avocado (2024) and The Long Shoe (2025).
Watch
Bob Mortimer on The Hotel Avocado
Bob Mortimer talks to Waterstones in 2024 about The Hotel Avocado, the sequel to The Satsuma Complex.
Frequently asked questions about Bob Mortimer’s books
How many books has Bob Mortimer written?
Five: the memoir And Away... (2021), three novels, and Gone Fishing (2019), co-written with Paul Whitehouse.
What are Bob Mortimer’s books in order?
Gone Fishing (2019, with Paul Whitehouse), And Away... (2021), The Satsuma Complex (2022), The Hotel Avocado (2024) and The Long Shoe (2025).
Where should I start with Bob Mortimer?
With And Away... for his life story, or The Satsuma Complex if you want his fiction.
What is Bob Mortimer’s most famous book?
His memoir And Away... (2021). His first novel, The Satsuma Complex (2022), was a Sunday Times bestseller.
Is The Satsuma Complex the same book as The Clementine Complex?
Yes. The Satsuma Complex was published in the United States as The Clementine Complex.
Who narrates the audiobook of The Satsuma Complex?
Bob Mortimer reads it with Sally Phillips.
What is And Away... about?
His own life. It is his autobiography, published in September 2021, which he wrote after his 2015 heart scare made him reflect on his life.
Did Bob Mortimer have heart surgery?
Yes. In October 2015 he had a triple heart bypass, which led to the cancellation of the first leg of the Reeves and Mortimer 25th-anniversary tour. He has also had rheumatoid arthritis since childhood.
Footnotes
- Bob Mortimer — Wikipedia
- Bob Mortimer writes his memoirs — Chortle
- And Away... — Simon & Schuster
- The Long Shoe — Simon & Schuster
Bibliography last verified 9 October 2026. Where sources give different first-publication years, this page uses the year in library catalogues or the publisher’s own record.
This list was not put together by a machine.
The notes are all mine,
and the books are all his.
Lisanne x
Written by Lisanne Swart, who has curated reading lists and author guides at lisanneswart.com since 2021.
See more on her personal bookshelf.
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